While there still have been no formal talks between the NHL and NHLPA since the beginning of the lockout last Saturday night, things still are percolating on the labor front, with the Alberta Labour Relations Board taking center stage Friday.

At a hearing in Edmonton, the union argued to the board that the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames should be barred from locking out their players, in accordance with Alberta law, which states that no lockout can take place without two weeks of mediation. The NHL contended that because the players’ dispute is with the league and not the individual franchises, the lockout is covered under the labor laws of the United States.

NHL lockout: It took help from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to clear the way for Jaromir Jagr to play in his native Czech Republic. (AP Photo)

“It would be extremely destabilizing to how we do business and how we conduct this sports league,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said, according to the Canadian Press. “I don’t know how we would proceed in the face of separate units in Alberta.”

The NHLPA’s attempts in Alberta are different from the claims made last week to Quebec’s provincial labor board. In that province, the union sought an injunction against the lockout on the grounds that it does not have certification in Quebec, thereby making a lockout illegal. The Alberta Labour Relations Board has deferred its decision to a later date.

The Quebec board turned down the request, but Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette reported Friday that another hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 15—three days after the NHL’s regular season is scheduled to begin.

Regardless of the governmental wrangling, players continue to make plans for a shortened, if not canceled, NHL season. Some already are playing in Europe, including Jaromir Jagr, playing in his native Czech Republic. Interestingly, The New York Times reported that the NHL players including Jagr would not have been able to take part in a Czech league game on Wednesday night without the blessing of the NHL, which had to sign off on international transfer cards to enable them to play elsewhere.

“I have to say thanks to Brendan Shanahan, who helped me a lot,” Jagr told the Times. “Shanahan did a great job and put Gary Bettman and Bill Daly on the phone, and eventually we were able to play.”

Unlike Jagr, another future Hall of Famer, Martin Brodeur, has not yet made the move to Europe, or anywhere else. The New Jersey Devils’ longtime goaltender told ESPN.com that he’d “like to go somewhere to play by November” if the lockout has not been resolved. Brodeur said he remains hopeful for a settlement and acknowledged that part of the reason he signed a two-year contract with the Devils this summer was to ensure he would be able to finish his career in New Jersey, regardless of whether the 2012-13 season turns into a repeat of the canceled 2004-05 campaign.